Death Dancer
by Sahalean
Summary: There's something Daniel hasn't been telling SG1. Something he hasn't told anyone. Five thousand years ago, he had a different name. Five thousand years ago, he was a god...
1. Chapter 1 and 2

Note: I would like to take a moment to say that this is not the finished product of this portion of the story. As of yet, I have not edited. I am meerly putting this out to try and bounce it off a few people and see what they think of the general idea. Anyone who likes it, or has any helpful input, please review. It would be greatly appreciated.

Also the Anubis in this story is not the same as the Anubis introduced in the actual series. He will come in later, but under different pretenses.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any characters affiliated with it.

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Death Dancer

Chapter 1

Daniel was missing.

Now that SG-1 sat down to think about it, Daniel was always missing. He had a bad tendency to disappear from right beneath their noses and then reappear moments later. It had to be a talent; that was the only thing it could be. The rock happy archeologist would work himself up into a tizzy with one discovery or another and then poof! He was gone.

But this time, it wasn't the same.

This time, Daniel had disappeared on Earth. The young man had little else to do but languish in his office, and that was all he ever did…until now.

The base had been searching for the archeologist for three days and there was neither hide nor hair of him. He had not checked out at the guard post. His car was still in the parking garage. And he had not been through or near the gate since SG-1 returned from a mission five days beforehand.

The only clue anyone had of Daniel's whereabouts was a broken ancient pendant that had been found knocked to the floor of his office. The charm was clearly Goa'uld in origin. The metal was like nothing Sam had ever seen. No tests she ran on the metal gave any indication of its age, its substance, or its purpose. For all they knew it could be anything from a lover's bauble to a highly destructive compact device that could destroy the entire planet in an instant. And there was an energy reading coming off the charm, there was no mistake about that. But once again that energy could not be classified or studied. It was as elusive as the metal, slipping through any machine's scans as if it did not exist at all.

Sam jumped as the alarm sounded, heralding in an incoming wormhole. She rushed to the control room, meeting up with Jack in her rush. They went silently to where they knew they were possibly needed and entered into the control room as the Stargate burst into life. The iris slammed closed.

"Do we have a code yet?" General Hammond enquired, leaning forward towards the glass in an unconscious act of apparent interest.

"It's the Tokr'a, sir," one of the technicians responded.

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.

The men guarding the gate room went on alert, all weapons aimed at the shimmering pool as a human form stepped through. Sam smiled and rushed from the room.

"Dad!" she cried as she squeezed through the door, embracing him warmly.

"Hey, kiddo," Jacob Carter said with a smiled, giving her arm an affectionate squeeze.

General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill entered the room at a more sedate pace, greeting their friend and ally.

"And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company, old friend?" Hammond inquired, blue eyes alert and full of questions. Jacob always had a reason for coming. Sentimental visits were rare and far between.

"I have some news for you on a new Goa'uld…actually a very old one," Jacob replied.

"Then let's take this to the meeting room."

Minutes later Jacob, Hammond, and all of three quarters of SG-1 were sitting around the large oval table in the meeting room. Jacob was frowning as he went over all the information he was to give them in his head. Selmack offered to help, but Jacob thought it would sound better if he offered up the bad news.

"Okay listen," he began. "It has been discovered that the System Lords are sequestered into a meeting of sorts on an uninhabited planet. They are there without their Jaffa guards. The one who called the meeting is a Goa'uld we have not heard anything about for centuries. But he is one bad guy no one wants to mess with. The System Lords are there at his whim and he has been known to punish them without retribution being sought. The Goa'uld are scared of him, is an easy way of putting it."

"So the snakeheads have a boogey man?" Jack chimed in, raising his eyebrows as if in an attempt to make himself look innocent.

"It's safe to say that, yes, they do," Jacob admitted. "The High Council would like SG-1 to go to this planet and find out anything you can about this Goa'uld."

The innocent look vanished from Jack's face. "Whoa, wait a minute here. Why can't the Tokr'a do their own dirty work? Why do we have to risk our lives to find out about this big bad guy?"

Jacob closed his eyes and lowered his head, only to look back up a moment later. Selmack spoke out, her dual toned voice filling the room. "_The Goa'uld Anubis is a very formidable foe. We of the Tokr'a cannot enter into his presence without him knowing we are there. He has the ability to sense the symbiotes of others at a great distance, and only those invited to his planet are allowed to stay. We had sent in one of our operatives. They were killed swiftly and sent back."_

The silence the filled the room was palpable. Until Jack opened his mouth.

"So he's a big bad guy with super powers?"

Sam tried not to grin. Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow.

"But even ifwe did go, we're down one man. We can't find Daniel," Sam spoke up.

Jacob looked at her in surprise.

"What do you mean, you can't find Daniel?"

"We can't find him, Dad. He's nowhere around. We've looked. He's been missing for days."

"_That is unfortunate_," Selmack spoke._ "But we must ask you to go now. The summit meeting will not last much longer. It had already gone on longer than any of Anubis' summits to date. They could very well be ending the proceedings at this moment."_

"Very well," General Hammond replied, making his decision. "SG-1 will move out in an hour."

Jack was cursing their luck as he and his two present team members entered the enbarkment room. Where the hell was Daniel anyway? He could sit there and growl about it all he wanted, but they had a mission to attend to. Stupid snakeheads…

The Stargate burst into shimmering life and Hammond's voice came over the speaker wishing them luck. Jack decided it was time to grumble again. The general only wished them luck when he thought they were going into very dangerous situations. Damn it!

They had had a small briefing minutes ago, but it did nothing to waylay Jack's nerves. There was something about this mission that didn't bode well. The System Lords were on a planet, denied the presence of their guards, even that of their First Primes. They were allowed one human servant, and they were not allowed any weapons at all. The planet itself was also unguarded. Anubis had no Jaffa. Something in and of itself that was an irregularity. Who ever heard of a Goa'uld that didn't have his little army of incubator warriors?

Jack grumbled under his breath, his hands tightening around his P-90 as he, Sam, and Teal'c silently walked up to the gate and without a moments hesitation, passed through it.

It was dark on the world they entered, looking like dawn was quickly approaching from….whatever direction it rose in on that particular planet. They immediately fled into the safety of the trees, hiding themselves away in the darkness. Sam smiled as she noticed all the tiny white flowered on the ground.

"This place would give Daniel a fit," she commented to the others, smiling fondly at the thought of their currently missing team member. They would find him after this mission.

As they had been promised, there was no one guarding the gate. The world was completely empty. SG-1 followed the path set out through the forest until they came to the clearing at its heart…and the only structure that was supposedly on the entire planet.

In the darkness of predawn they could see the light of torches burning throughout the structure. It was like a scaled down version of a Mayan temple. But at each step/level there were large openings cut into the stone to allow light in. the design of the structure allowed for easy spying…hopefully not too easy.

SG-1 quickly scaled the building, peering in each window for clues as to what they should be looking for. About five steps up…each step seeming to be a wide as the room below it, they found something of interest. All the openings from that point up seemed to looked down on the same central chamber…a chamber filled with a circle of throne-like chairs…and a sarcophagus at the center of them all.

"This must be where they hold their summit," Sam commented. "But where are they?"

"They would be sleeping," Teal'c answered. "Anubis is most likely in the center sarcophagus. The other System Lords would be in the various rooms we have passed over."

"Well, I guess we're in for a lot of waiting then," Jack grumbled, shifting to try and find a more comfortable position from where he was lying on the hard stone of the building.

"Look at all the inscriptions on the walls, sir," Sam pointed out. "Daniel would love to get his hands on this place."

"Well maybe we'll bring ol'Danny boy back here one day…when it's not infested by snakeheads."

For all their waiting, they did get a very lovely view of the sunrise, golden rays sprawling across cloud and ground in a halo of light and shadow. And as the first rays of light began to fill the temple, as the sunlight hit the golden structure within, the sarcophagus began to open.

SG-1 watched as hand came up to rest at the lip of the device, all to aware of the ribbon device adorning that hand, and also noticing the same device on the other hand as it came up to grasp the other side of the sarc. The form slowly sat up, one hand holding in place the hood that shadowed the figures face. As the Goa'uld rose, the flowing black cloak he wore fell around his slender form, hiding all else from view. He stepped out of his sarcophagus and stretched, something that didn't seem like a very Goa'uldish action.

The only part of the man visible was the lower half of his face, which was handsome and, at the moment, adorned with a slight smile at the exhilaration of sleeping within the sarcophagus, and the pale length of the man's throat. All else was covered in darkest black cloak.

"I'm going to guess that is Anubis?" Jack asked, more than said.

"You are correct, O'Neill. Anubis is a god of Death. No one may look upon his face. This is he," Teal'c informed.

Anubis glided up to his throne, the sarcophagus shutting behind him, and slowly sat, his hands resting on the arms of his throne, displaying his two deadly hand devices.

"_Come_," Anubis spoke, his dual toned, metallic voice flowing through the room like water.

On cue, the System Lords began to enter the chamber, each taking one of the thrones. SG-1 recognized more than a few of them. Osiris was there in all her haughty glory, sneering at all the others in the way that only she could. Heur'ur was present, sitting grudgingly beside Apophis. Cronus, Yu, and Nirrti were all present, as well as six other System Lords that they had yet to encounter and identify.

When all others were seated, Anubis rose, his cloak falling about him. The glow of his eyes momentarily peeked out from under his hood, and then he was pacing, walking slowly behind the chairs of the System Lords. Their apprehension was palpable.

"_I would hope that all of you have learned your lesson well," _Anubis hissed, trailing his hand across the back of Apophis' head as he passed by. If Jack didn't know any better, he would have said that Apophis flinched at the contact.

One of the other Goa'ulds spoke out in their native language. Teal'c did not care to translate what was said, it was not important. What was important was the snarl that cross Anubis' visible mouth, and then the glow of both his ribbon devises as he took the Goa'uld's head within his hands.

"_You are being defiant, Ba'al,"_ Anubis continued to speak in English, something that was odd on its own.

Sam frowned at the interaction. "I think he's trying to annoy them by talking in one of our languages, sir," she commented. Wincing as the glow of both ribbon devices intensified before they were taken away from Ba'al's head. The System Lord looked more than a little drawn after that, maybe a little pained as well.

"_Already your petty squabbling has forced me to stay here more than your permitted time. I have been lenient, but I do not appreciate the inconvenience."_

"_We are deeply sorry, my lord," _Osiris purred, fully aware of the female body he had stolen.

"_Silence," _Anubis nearly yelled, then his voice fell to a chilling calm. "_I do not want any of your simpering. All of you bore me. I will not tolerate your presence any longer. Go! Leave! I will have nothing else to do with you all for some time, foolish children."_

The System Lords knew when to stop with this new Goa'uld. They did not try to push any points it seemed. Their lives, if they walked away with them, were a gift.

The System Lords rose with as much dignity as they could muster in the situation, and promptly left, their chosen human servants trailing after them.

Jack motioned to his team and they silently followed the Goa'ulds back to the Stargate and watched as each one departed. Then they returned back to the temple. They had a Goa'uld to confront.

They snuck silently into the temple, approaching the main room cautiously. They watched as Anubis walked towards his sarcophagus. He pushed back his hood, revealing short cropped golden brown hair and slowly let his cloak drop to the ground, pooling at his sandal clad feet. He was wearing little more than a white kilt that hung low on his waist, a golden belt keeping the thing fabric from falling from his toned body. Golden bangles wrapped around his biceps and the hand devices glinted dangerously, but he wore nothing else. His built was slender, but he did not look weak. Anubis must have been very vain when he picked his host. The face could be nothing less that beautiful.

"Turn around," Jack called out the order, hoping the Goa'uld would be as arrogant as the rest of his species.

"_You petty system lords may not look upon the face of your god,"_ Anubis growled, the disdain almost dripping from his voice.

"We're not your petty system lords," Jack growled back.

The man tensed, fingers clenching tightly around the crystals of the hand devices.

"Shit!" said a very human and very familiar voice. They all knew it well.

"Daniel?"

The young archeologist turned around slowly, grimacing at the sight of his teammates.

"Hi, Jack."

Chapter 2

Daniel bit his lip as Jack glared at him, his face scrunched up in a look of guilty consternation.

"What are you doing here, Daniel?" Jack inquired.

"Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that," Daniel murmured, shifting uneasily under the accusing stares of his friends. There was also the fact that he was almost naked in front of them…but that didn't seem as important at the moment.

"When did this happen, Daniel?" Jack continued on, far too calm for everything to be okay.

"Oh, it's been going on for quite some time now," Daniel admitted, adverting his eyes. He bit his lip. This wasn't going to end well.

"Who are you, you filthy snake?" O'Neill suddenly yelled, his face contorting into a look of rage.

Daniel jerked back in surprise, raising one hand in defense, forgetting about the ribbon device currently attached to it. Jack immediately fired, aiming to the side, but Daniel did not realize this. He panicked, activating his personal shield as he quickly scurried around behind the sarcophagus, ducking his head.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Stop doing that!" Daniel cried in alarm. "I forgot I had it on! I forgot it was there!"

Jack stopped firing, wishing above all else that it really was his friend cowering away from him and not some Goa'uld.

Daniel cautiously peeked over the top of the sarc, blue eyes wide and pained.

"Please don't shoot at me anymore," he begged. They could hear the desperate anguish in his voice. "Please…"

"Remove the hand devices and throw them over here," Jack ordered.

Daniel quickly complied, the metal clattering across the stone floor. He then peered out at them again, rising slowly, eyes wary and guarded. His personal shield was still strapped to his wrist. That was something he was not going to give up at the moment.

"So just who are you?" Jack demanded, still holding his P-90 trained on Daniel.

"Jack, it's me," Daniel said quietly. "I know what this looks like, I do, but you have to listen to me."

"You are not Daniel," he was told coldly.

"I am," he swore. "Sam, tell me, do you sense a symbiote? I have no entry wound, you can check."

"Sir?" Carter asked for permission.

"Be careful, captain."

Sam approached Daniel slowly, eying him as one would a dangerous animal. Daniel made sure to remain still as Sam carefully reached up and brushed her fingers across the back of his neck. Then she retreated quickly.

"There is no entry wound, and I do not sense a symbiote, sir." Carter shook her head. "I do not know how that is possible."

"That's because I'm not a Goa'uld!" Daniel exclaimed.

"What, you just came out here to play dress up and dominatrix?" Jack hissed.

Daniel made a frustrated noise, clenching his fists. Eerily, the jewel in the hand devices Sam now held, glowed with Daniel's anger. They all saw it. Jack's face hardened.

"Okay, snakehead. You're coming with us," Jack spat.

Daniel clenched his teeth and ground out, "I am not a Goa'uld!"

"Then what are you doing out here?" Jack yelled back.

"Keeping those petty children in their place!" Daniel spat, eyes blazing gold in his rage. He could feel the power rushing through his blood. He shivered closing his eyes for a moment to center himself. "They need to be beaten down every once in a while, those arrogant fools," he murmured quietly, more to himself than any other.

"DanielJackson, you must not give up hope," Teal'c spoke. It only sent Daniel off again.

"Damn it, why can't you people understand?" he cried out. "There is no Goa'uld! Use the brains of your infantile race!"

Jack shook his head regretfully, his gun remained firmly targeted on his friend. "It's comments like that that make me doubt you, Danny," Jack murmured. "Is he lost you us?" He sounded so tired now, so sad.

"No, Jack, no, not lost. Never lost. Simply misplaced for a time. I just need to come back to myself. Please, I can explain this to you. I can. There is a reason for this, but the story is long. Let's go back to the base. Janet can scan me and do all her other stuff. I'll even stay in a cell for you until you believe me…if you ever believe me."

Jack sighed, running one hand through his graying hair. He glanced at the rest of his team and they silently agreed. "Okay, Danny. Let's go."

The young archeologist paused for a moment, biting his lip again.

"Can I at least grab my cloak?"

"No."

"But everyone will see me like this. It'll be embarrassing," he whined.

"You should have thought of that before you wore it," was Jack's sarcastic reply.

Daniel sighed in surrender and slowly walked towards them.

It would have been an interesting sight for anyone watching them, to see them making their way towards the gate. Sam, Jack, and Teal's surrounded Daniel as he walked, keeping him held at gunpoint. Jack was practically walking backwards.

Sam dialed the gate when they reached it and sent through their IDC. In their circular formation, they walked through the gate.

It was a surprising sight for the people in the control room. General Hammond looked on at Daniel, who had been missing, coming through the gate dressed like a pharaoh and being held at gunpoint by his own friends. This did not bode well.

Daniel walked passively down the ramp, feeling very, very naked under the scrutiny of so many eyes while he was wearing so very little.

General Hammond entered the room.

"Dr. Jackson?" the general inquired looking at the man with a questioning look.

"Hello, sir," Daniel managed to say, giving the general a tight smile. It was going to be a long day.

"What is going on here?"

"We think that Daniel has been taken by a Goa'uld, sir," Sam spoke up.

Hammond gave Daniel a piercing look.

"Is that true, son?"

"That is what they think, but that is not the case," Daniel replied quietly.

"I cannot sense a symbiote, but we have seen his eyes glow and heard his voice change, sir," Sam relayed.

"There is a lot to explain," Daniel told the general. "But not here, please. I'll go through all the tests. I'll do whatever you want. But please, promise that you will listen to my side of the story?" there was such entreaty in Daniel's voice. His eyes were begging for a chance at hope.

"If you are going to be so willing," Jack spoke up, as belligerent as always. "Then you won't mind giving us a little demonstration. Make your eyes glow."

Daniel glanced over at the colonel and sighed. When he looked back at Hammond, his eyes flared with light, quickly fading. Everyone in the room seemed to take a collective step back. The general's eyes widened.

"It's not what you think," Daniel pleaded, his face contorted into an apologetic grimace.

"General Hammond," O'Neill spoke again. "This is Anubis."

Daniel closed his eyes in defeat. That was the clincher to the whole deal. The next second, the general was ordering for him to be taken to a cell and detained. This was the end, Daniel knew. The end of his fantasy. The end of life as he knew it. His secrets would no longer be his own and all those around him…would come to hate him. It was what always happened. It would always happen. The next time Daniel spoke with anyone, it would be on the terms of enemies.


	2. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Okay, a BIG thank you to all of you who reviewed, it warms my little heart to know people actually like what I write. Sorry if the updates slow down after this one, but fall term is starting, heh. I will try to update as regularly as I can, though. Keep reviewing and giving me brain food. : )

Krysalys: Ah yes….naked Daniel…we must arrange this. Must get that man naked on screen more often.

Reona: I am aware that the meeting with Jacob/Selmack is very choppy, almost so choppy I killed myself. I had the idea of the story in my head from the temple onward and I had to think of a way to get SG-1 to the planet. But then I stuck Jacob in there and promptly realized that I have no idea how to write his character. This is going to get a major edit when it's finally done, hopefully it will get smoothed out then.

Tempest in Blue: Don't worry, Sha're will be explained, though perhaps not as most would want. And she is dead. This probably takes place somewhere in season 5.

On with the show…

Chapter 3

All was not well at the SGC. All was not well...

Daniel sighed from within his cell, leaning his head back against the cool wall. He was so tired…so tired of this. Janet had run every test imaginable. He had been poked and prodded in places he hadn't even known he had. And now all those he had come to call 'friend' were sitting up in the meeting room speculating about him, his past, his future, his being. They would not find the answers on their own. They would not know what to do with them if they did. Sooner of later, one of his friends was going to come for a visit and demand of him all that he was, spoken aloud, given freely to all…

"I should have stayed on Abydos," Daniel whispered mournfully to himself. That would have solved everything. No one would ever have found out, not even his late wife. And she would be alive if he had never left.

But he did leave. He did. And the world was changed. A balance that had been made within his life was usurped by those he had come to love. But that was why he loved them. For a time he had been happy. Something he had not been in so very, very long.

And so selfishly, he had held onto those moments, trying to hide everything he was behind a lie.

But no more lies now…no more. Now the truth would be judged, and those he loved would be his own executioners.

The opening of a door drew Daniel's attention back to the present and he peered out through the bars of his cell to see General Hammond entering the room. The bald man did not look pleased.

"Dr. Jackson, I want some answers," the general stated, annoyance tingeing his voice.

"Yes," was Daniel's only reply, whispered so softly it might not have been said at all. He hung his head in defeat. And allowed himself to be led to his own trial…

000...because ffnetwouldn't let me put anything else for a section divider...grrrr...

"I've run all the tests I can think of on him and I can't find anything to suggest that he is being controlled by something," Janet Frasier admitted as she gave her report to General Hammond and SG-1. Daniel had been left to wait outside the room, guarded by two officers. The general cringed at the hopeless smile the archeologist had given him moments ago.

"What I have found," Janet continued, "is that Daniel does have a scar from an entry wound on the back of his neck. But it's so old that the scar has completely faded and the only evidence is the scar tissue beneath the surface of his skin. That is something I cannot explain. There are also trace amounts of naquada in his blood, something I have never picked up before. There is no sign of a protein marker from a dying Goa'uld either. He is also coming down from what seems like the effects of prolonged exposure to the sarcophagus."

"He was sleeping in the sarcophagus when we arrived," Sam supplied. "I would assume that he stayed within it the entire night, and for however many nights he was there, at least three, judging by the time of his disappearance."

Janet sighed, shaking her head slightly, she fingered the papers scattered before her, wanting to be able to give them all the answers they wanted. She had none of them.

"That's all I have," she admitted, "Just trace amounts of naquada and an old scar."

"Then let's hope Dr. Jackson can shed some light on this situation. Bring him in," General Hammond called to the guard at the door.

Daniel was led slowly into the room. He was shackled at hands and feet, effectively hobbled. He shuffled in with his head down, but the expression on his face was anything but submissive. There was a hardness to his features, as if he were just tolerating the treatment for the time being. His lips were drawn into a thin line. His hands were clasped together, perhaps so that he would not feel as if he were being forced to keep his hands so close, or perhaps to try and waylay the look of pride he seemed to want to possess.

He was led to the chair at the other end of the table and sat down. The guards left promptly and the room was closed off from everyone else in the base. What would transpire in that room would be known to only the five people present. Daniel had made it clear as he walked with General Hammond on the way to the meeting. He would not speak to anyone else but those he trusted. His quiet stubbornness would keep that statement very true.

"Dr. Jackson," General Hammond greeted.

Daniel looked up and gave them all a tiny smile, softening his almost pouting features. "General Hammond," he murmured.

"Would you care to explain to us why you were hosting a meeting of the Goa'uld System Lords?" the general suggested.

Daniel sighed, raising his shackled hands as far as he could and lowering his head to massage the bridge of his nose. He removed his glasses and laid them on the table.

"I needed to have one, and it was the first available time for it. I have lost control of the System Lords. They do not fear me as they used to," Daniel told them, his voice perfectly calm as he looked out at them with his crystal blue eyes.

"Why would the System Lords fear you?" Hammond demanded.

"I am Anubis," Daniel replied haughtily, scowling slightly at them all, as if that would explain everything. Then a pained look crossed his face and he leaned down the pinch the bridge of his nose again. "I…I was Anubis," he corrected himself, emotion breaking his voice. "That is what I meant to say. I was Anubis." He tugged at the shackles on his wrists and frowned. "Can I have my hands?"

Hammond nodded his consent and Jack rose, taking a set of keys out of his pocket. Daniel held up his hands and waited patiently as Jack undid the cuffs. Jackson shifted nervously under his friend's hard gaze.

"Thank you," he nearly whispered, rubbing at his wrists. He bit his lip and looked back up at the stoic general.

" Alright, Dr. Jackson, can you explain to us why you believe yourself to be this Anubis?" The general's request was polite, but that only seemed to fray Daniel's frazzled nerves even more.

The archeologist shuddered, feeling the power rush through his veins. He hissed through his teeth, his eyes narrowing at the assembled humans.

"How could you pitiful Tau'ri ever understand?" he spat angrily, fists clenched tightly.

Then his eyes widened as if he were surprised by his own words.

"Oh, damn it," he cursed, cradling his heads in his hands. "Stupid machine…"

"Why are you so angry, Dr. Jackson?" Janet asked softly.

Daniel shook his head again, one hand clenched in his short hair.

"I'm not angry," he ground out, eyes clenched tightly shut. "It's the sarcophagus…you know it changes people."

"You didn't act like this last time," Jack commented.

"Shyla's sarcophagus was faulty," Daniel nearly snarled, shivering slightly. "It just made you high, didn't give you the power trip." He suddenly sat back in the chair, open eyes rolling up slightly. "A true sarcophagus feels like liquid fire running through your veins," he breathed. "It's intoxicating, more than any high."

"And your still flying, I take it," Jack drawled casually.

"Oh, god yes," Daniel gasped, leaning back in the chair.

And then Daniel was on his feet so suddenly it sent everyone in the room reaching for their weapons. Daniel glared at them, a sneer marring his youthful face. Blue eyes blazed with golden light.

"Dr. Jackson, I must ask that you return to your seat," General Hammond commanded, a hard edge entering his voice.

Daniel scoffed at the remark, a sardonic smile touching his lips.

"_You dare to command a god?"_ the dual toned voice that filled the room sent everyone on edge.

"You are not a god!" Jack spat out.

"_So say the children,"_ Daniel sneered. He turned away, shuffling slowly towards the large window in the meeting room. Gazing down upon the inactive Stargate, his eyes blazed with light once again, reflected in the glass of the window.

"I don't get it, Daniel," Sam called out to him. "You weren't like this before. If you are not a Goa'uld, then what is making you act like this?"

Daniel leaned his forehead against the cool glass. He reached up with one hand, trailing his fingers down the pane as if to reach out to the Gate beyond.

"I just need the effects of the sarcophagus to wear off," he admitted slowly, forcing his voice to be human. "Anubis…what Anubis was is too close the surface. I just need to get back to me."

"How long will it take for the effects to wear off?" General Hammond inquired.

"The rest of today, maybe half of tomorrow," Daniel replied softly. "After that, even if the effects are not completely worn off, I should be able to ignore them effectively."

"Very well then, we will continue this tomorrow evening then. But until then you will remain back in your cell."

Daniel turned on them, anger flashing in his eyes. "That is not acceptable!" he nearly yelled. But then he pursed his lips and closed his eyes, calming himself. When he spoke again, there was no anger in his voice, only a deep regret. "That will be fine, sir. That will be fine."

"Very good, Dr. Jackson, dismissed."

000

And once again, Daniel found himself in the cell, pacing his cage irritably, eyes darkened with self loathing.

"You idiot!" he cursed himself. "So high and mighty, take everything you have away from yourself with your arrogant power mongering!"

He spun around sharply at the sound of the door to the brig opening and hiss warningly at whoever dared to approach him, cursing himself even as he did this. He knew how irritable he could be when coming down from the effects of the sarc. And he could curse people out in so many languages they would have a stroke on the spot.

It was Teal'c who entered the room, his always solemn face marked with a vague expression of surprise at Daniel defensive hiss. The young archeologist was in a half crouch, as if ready to fend off an attack, even through the cell bars.

"Good evening, DanielJackson," the Jaffa greeted.

"Hi, Teal'c," Daniel replied with a slight incline of his head. He continued his pacing without a second thought, leaving Teal'c to watch his repetitive, terse actions.

"I have come to keep you company, DanielJackson," Teal'c said slowly, perhaps sounding apprehensive for the first time in the years Daniel had known him. It sent a chill down the archeologist's spine.

"I'm not going to be very good company right now, Teal'c," he warned.

"I will not leave you to suffer alone."

Daniel paused in his pacing, vacant eyes staring off into the distance. When he spoke again his voice was hushed, but cold and perhaps almost cruel.

"You have no idea what suffering is."

"This may be so, but I will stay with you through this," the Jaffa said with earnest compassion.

Daniel would have been touched if he wasn't so screwed up at the time. The thought came unbidden to his mind…his one loyal Jaffa…but that was not what Teal'c was. He was a friend. Anubis had no Jaffa, he needed none. And Daniel Jackson did not want one either. He just wanted his friend.

"Thank you," Daniel whispered, and then slowly resumed his pacing.

"Think nothing of it," Teal'c replied.

A shadow of a smile flitted across Daniel's face. He spared Teal'c a glance as the Jaffa sat in a chair outside his cell. His pacing continued, slowly gaining ferocity as time went on. It was going to be a long night…

AN: Sorry, no explanation yet. You'll all get it in the next chapter or so when Daniel isn't being…whatever it is he is being.


	3. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry for taking so long to update. I'm already bogged down with school work and I have two classes that I haven't even started yet. Joy.

Also to Note: I have finally decided in what time period this takes place. It takes place before Summit. It doesn't really matter where in Season Five before that, because none of those episodes are needed for the story, but that is where it takes place.

I'm not entirely sure where this chapter came from. It was never planned. I blame it on lack of sleep and boredom at four in the morning. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and I will not take up any more of your time.

Chapter 4

No one could ever have imagined how long a night it was for Daniel, always pacing within his barred confines. The anger in his movements was more and more apparent as the night wore on and started to delve into the predawn hours. In the back of his mind, Daniel had calculated the severity of his current addiction and the impending downfall. He had spent far too much time in his sarcophagus, trying to put on a show for the System Lords. He had given them the image of arrogance and power they wanted, not taking heed to his severely lowered tolerance to the machine. His uses of it had been seldom in the past years. Daniel knew what to expect, but still he felt there was nothing he could do. And Teal'c was going to feel the brunt of his…darkside, as Jack had once called it.

Daniel was far removed from his body, though. The part of his mind that was not quite his own, that sinister miasma that whispered tenaciously to him all his life, that being was in control…and furious at its treatment. More than anything else, he was Anubis. It was what he had been long before this human host was ever a thought of a lineage of genes.

The effects of true withdrawal always brought Anubis so close to the front of his mind. It always left the malicious persona in a seat of power. He was going to have a lot to apologize for when all this was over.

Daniel…Anubis, slowly stopped his pacing, viciously snarling at his surroundings. His licked his lips, and then his eyes set on the Jaffa, flaring with golden light. A sly smile quirked his lips.

"_Teal'c,_" Daniel spoke in Goa'uld, his voice distorted. _"Come, Teal'c. Come here."_

The Jaffa eyed Daniel without any trace of emotion, solemnly meeting softly glowing eyes. He took one step towards the cell, his hands clasped behind his back.

"What is it you wish, DanielJackson?" he inquired in English.

Daniel smiled almost coyly, motioning for the large man to come even closer. Teal'c grudgingly obeyed, hoping he would be able to reach his friend if he gained this…personality's trust. Daniel sighed, the smile still playing across his lips and he reached his arms through the bars and cautiously placed one hand on Teal'c's cheek.

"_You could be powerful, Teal'c," _Daniel murmured seductively, still speaking in Goa'uld. _"We could be powerful. Come with me, release me from the cell and follow me. Be my loyal Jaffa. Be my First Prime. I will give you everything."_

"DanielJackson…" Teal'c interrupted, his voice cold, but Daniel only shook his head, smiling in a way that said Daniel Jackson was far, far away.

"_Stand by my side, Teal'c. We can defeat the Goa'uld. We can rule this universe. They fear me. They love me. They will as I say.1 Just get me to them and I will give them to you. You can take revenge for your people and we can rule all of this. We can make it how we want it to be."_

"You are not in your right mind," Teal'c stated, stepping back so that the young looking man could no longer reach him.

Daniel's face contorted into an ugly snarl and he hissed in English, _"I am in exactly the correct mind, Shol'va!"_

Teal'c frowned, pained by such a disgusting word uttered from his friends lips. He stiffly turned away from the irritated man and strode back to his position by the opposite wall. There he stood rigid and continued to stonily watch the archeologist as he resumed the furious pacing of his cell.

Hours later Daniel huddled on the hard bed in the cell, shivering almost violently as he hugged himself against the icy coldness that ran through his veins. His teeth chattered audibly and his fingers clutched convulsively at the sleeves of his jacket.

His violent rage had slowly filtered down into vile self-loathing. Anubis was disgusted at his own lack of control. He was a better actor that this! Trying to hurt those he viewed as friends…that act alone was unforgivable in his own eyes. He needed his allies…but above all, he needed his friends. He was nothing without them. He knew who he was and he was not like the others. He could have a heart…when he wanted to.

How pitiful he was…how cruel.

"I'm sorry, Teal'c," he managed to whisper through his chattering, his downcast eyes filled with shame. He expected nothing in return, but Teal'c was always too forgiving.

"You have nothing to regret, DanielJackson," the large man replied almost softly. "The man who said those words was not you."

Daniel closed his eyes, shaking his head sadly. He could feel the tears stinging his eyes as he pursed his lips to keep from speaking out. How wrong Teal'c was…how wrong. The man who said those words was more who he was than the man who spoke the words of regret only moments before. Even if he didn't want to be that person, how could he ever make any of them understand that, after all was said, the person who was Daniel Jackson was nothing more than a lie?

The time of his judgment came too soon. Daniel was still coming down from his power trip; his blood still ran cold in his veins. But at least the domineering, power hungry thoughts of a Goa'uld were not as prominent in the forefront of his mind as they had been the previous day.

He was almost numb as he was led back into the meeting room. His handcuffs were quietly removed. The shackles on his ankles remained. Daniel sighed audible, slowing sliding his glasses off. He folded them carefully and set them down on the table before looking back up into the faces of those he loved.

"Why do you remove your glasses?" Dr. Frasier asked quietly, making a note in the folder sitting before her.

"I don't need them," Daniel answered quietly, suppressing another shiver as it ran through his form. "I can degrade and correct my eyesight at will. The glasses were a means by which to seem normal…flawed."

General Hammond cleared his throat, drawing Daniel's crystal blue eyes to him. His face was stern, hinting at no emotion. He was a true leader at times like this, centered, secure in his standing. He was like a rock against which all those around him could lean upon.

"Dr. Jackson, we are here to discuss how you are connected with the Goa'uld Anubis, seeing as how you do not have a living symbiote within you."

Daniel smiled warily, staring morosely down at the tabletop. He ran a finger along the wood grains, trying not to look at those around him.

"Will you believe what I tell you?" he asked quietly. "Will you accept if for what it is? Or will abandon me as all other do? Will you deny me for a fault that was not of my choosing? I was made into this…this thing. I did not have a choice. Will you damn me for that? Or should I keep my secrets so that you do not spit in my face and scorn all that I am?"

"We would never scorn you, Daniel," Sam spoke up, if Daniel had been looking, he would have seen her concerned expression. As it was, he saw nothing but the table and his delicate, blood stained hand.

"You already have," his answer was a mere whisper.

"We thought you were a Goa'uld," Sam cried.

"I am not so different. We are very much alike, him and I, because there is no longer a distinction."

"Who are you talking about, Dr. Jackson?" Janet inquired calmly.

"Anubis."

"You do not have a Goa'uld within you," Janet told him firmly.

"I did once, long ago," Daniel murmured, closing his eyes. "The world cowered at my feet."

1 - This is almost a direct quote from the movie the Labyrinth, which I have shamelessly stolen. "Fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave." Who can't love that?


	4. Chapter 5

AN: Okay this is a little dry, lack of narrative and almost all monologue. But it's his story, so I suppose he's allowed to lecture. Tell me what you think of it.

Chapter 5

He had their attention. It was unwavering in their gazed. He almost wished they would forget he was even there. It would be easier to speak his mind to an empty room than to spill these long guarded secrets of his to the ones he wanted as friends. But that was why he was telling them…because he wanted them as friends. He didn't want to loose them. The only choice was to risk everything to make them understand.

"I don't know how this happened. I suppose I was just unfortunate to be born to a man so devoted to his god. I was the son of a priest in Egypt. My father was the high priest of Ra. I lived for but twenty-six years as a normal human. I was faithful to my father and to Ra. I served as was expected of me. One day, my father came to me, and he made me dress in finery I had never worn, and he took me to Ra's temple and presented me to his god. Ra…" Daniel gave a tiny chuckle, a smile bitterly touching his lips, "always so young in that child body of his. He looks so innocent until he speaks. You remember him, right Jack?"

Daniel glanced up at his commanding officer, surveying the man's stony face. Jack nodded his head in affirmation, dark eyes boring into Daniel.

"Ra approved of my father's breeding. I was a rare find among the Egyptians. You notice I do not look Egyptian at all. My mother was from somewhere else, I never knew where, and my father was only part Egyptian. Ra thought I was beautiful," Daniel spat sarcastically. "He probably wanted that more than anything else in the host he chose for Anubis. He bade me follow him and I did. I allowed him to lay me down upon his alter. I didn't do anything. I didn't run, though I knew what would happen to me. I was frozen, so aghast at what my father had done. He bred me to please his god…I was never anything to him but an offering."

Daniel cleared his throat, blinking back angry tears. He clenched his first on the table, nails digging into his palms.

"Foolish slave," he hissed, eyes narrowed to slits. "I showed him…he paid. His suffering was as sweet as wine."

"Daniel," Jack prompted softly, alarmed by the archeologist turn of attitude. It seemed that they would be getting a lot of mood swings for a while.

Daniel jerked his head up, eyes wide and wild for a moment, then he calmed, releasing his clenched fists and leaning back fully into his chair.

"As you can guess, I was implanted with Anubis. He was so powerful, so old. But Anubis, with all the power he had, was not content. He allowed himself to be experimented upon. I don't what happened. The head scientist was Nirrti's mentor, her teacher, but he knew far more than she ever did. She was never part of the project, just him and his two assistants. And just to show you how arrogant Anubis was in his power, he never even learned their names." Daniel pursed his lips, closing his eyes briefly before continuing. "I do not know what experiments were done to us. Even Anubis didn't know what the scientist was doing. He was merely the subject. He was promised more power. Anubis always wanted more. He wanted to be the uniquely made one…But something went wrong. The Goa'uld died and all his memories were dumped into my new host."

"Your new host?" Jack demanded in a strangled voice.

"You know what I mean, Jack," Daniel shot back.

"No, I don't. I've never had a host!" Jack spat.

"Don't do this to me, Jack. I don't need this! I didn't have a choice, remember? I will always be like this. Anubis was ancient, even to the Goa'uld. That's a lot of memories to be mingled in this frail human head. You think everything of the host survived? At first I didn't even know he was gone. I thought I was him!" Daniel was nearly yelling by the end of his tirade, almost shaking in his rage.

"Please calm down, Dr. Jackson" General Hammond ordered quietly, sending a scathing glare at Colonel O'Neill. "And please continue."

"Alright." The young looking man complied, forcing himself to relax again and speak calmly. "When Anuibis died, all his memories and everything he was was given to me. I have the Goa'uld genetic memory in my brain. Shifu didn't have to give me that dream for me to know what it is capable of. For the longest time, I continued on in the capacity of Anubis, thinking I was him. But when we finally realized that I was dead…I killed them…all of them. I slaughtered them! I didn't want answers from the scientists. I didn't want them to fix it. I wanted them dead!" Daniel's eyed rolled back, closing, as he continued on. "I took on Anubis' role, because it was my role. I made the System Lords bow at my feet. And, oh, what an intoxicating sight that is…"

Then Daniel suddenly sat up straight, his face composed as he slowly looked each and every one of them in the eyes.

"You know," he spoke quietly now, all hunger for power gone from him. "It's very easy to tell people you're a god when you have nothing left to lose. When everything has been taken away from you. When you have no home to return to and no family that will take you back because to them you are dead, and to not be dead would be a betrayal to their god. And what did Anubis have left either? He was dead; he just continued to live on in me. But it's not the same. We feel hollow without his living form. Yes, it was very easy to take what they had given Anubis, what he had earned though his malice, and use it as my own. A selfish thing to do, perhaps, but I did not care. I was more Anubis then anyway. But my people gave up on me. They gave me away to be destroyed.

"I was bitter for a long time. I took it out on those that served and those who were served. It made me no better than any of the System Lords. But for most of that time, I was still mostly Anubis. Over time we…blended in a way. We merged together. We are not longer separate entities in one head. A human Goa'uld, who would have ever thought such a thing could exist?" Daniel gave a sour bark of laughter, not seeing the distress on his friends faces. "Finally, after years, I came to my senses. I fled. I have traveled the galaxy and back. I stumbled across an ancient transportation device and used it to have access to my temple and my sarcophagus. I have always dealt harshly with the System Lords. They will do as I command if I demand of them. They fear my retribution, for they do not understand the power I hold. After a while, I returned to Earth. I am the reason Ra fled Earth, not some pitiful rebellion. I allowed the Stargate to be buried and I waited. For five thousand years I waited, and finally the Stargate was found again. I set up my life as Daniel Jackson and what a pleasure it was to be asked to puzzle out the mysteries of the circle that I had always known. I gave you a good show, I think. I have been told that I can be a great actor when I want to be."


	5. Chapter 6

... I die... ... ...I live! -'posts chapter'-... ... ...I die again...

AN: So sorry it took so long to update. Exams were trying to kill me...vicious vicious beasts. Here's a nice long chapter. And once again, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside

Chapter 6

Daniel was back in his cell, once again curled up on the hard cot residing within. He hugged his knees, rocking slightly in his anguish. He could not hold back the tears in his eyes, no matter how hard he bit his lip, but he could keep them from falling. He would not give into to that surrender. And yet, there was no hope for him…he knew that now. He had been naïve to ever think that there might have been a way for them to accept him. He had been a fool.

Once again he had nothing left to lose. But this time, there was no way out for him. He would never be forgiven for this. And if he was, he would never be treated the same. They would look upon him with suspicion and fear for the rest of his life. If he lived that long. And if Hammond told anyone…that would truly be the end of him. What agency wouldn't want to get their hands on an immortal, mutated human?

Daniel choked back a hoarse bitter laugh. What an apt description of what he was! A mutated human indeed! He had already been a lab rat for the Goa'uld, why not for the Tau'ri as well?

He was slightly surprised when Janet was the one to next enter the brig in search of him. He had assumed Jack would come down and ream him up one side and down the other, perhaps more than once. The diminutive yet elegant doctor edged closed to the cell with carefully measured steps, observing him with a very professional, reserved expression.

"Good morning, Dr. Jackson," Dr. Fraiser greeted him.

"Is it morning already?" Daniel murmured, blinking up at her.

Janet took a moment to take in his pale complexion and the dark circles that stood out like bruises underneath his eyes. He did not look well at all. Come to think of it, no one had thought to see to any of his needs. Had he even been fed since he had returned?

"Have you been sleeping?" she asked him softly.

Daniel shook his head. "I have not slept in this cell. I cannot."

"Why?"

"It reminds me of my father…or Anubis' youth. We were both punished by being locked in cells, expect they were smaller and there were no bars, only walls."

Janet was appalled. He was too frightened to sleep in the cell and no one had noticed. Come to think of it, no one had ever noticed any hint of this apparent phobia, and SG-1 had been in captive situations many times before. That was almost a testament of how little the people Daniel worked with actually noticed him. Or how much he had kept from them all.

"Have the officers on guard been giving you regular meals?" she wanted to know.

Daniel shook his head again, eyes downcast in shame. "I don't blame them. They don't want to have anything to do with me. They seem to have forgotten that I am here. I don't mind. It is better to be ignored than hated and feared."

Janet sighed audibly, gazing sorrowfully at Daniel's curled form. He had admitted himself that he was a great actor. He had fooled them all for almost five years. Was this all an act to elicit sympathy? She didn't think so. This seemed to be the real Daniel. He looked too tired to be able to keep up with his web of lies.

"Daniel…" Janet began and then paused, unsure of whether to even bother asking the question. It was not her right to ask it.

"Yes?"

In that moment she decided to dare.

"Are you our enemy? Truthfully, all lies aside."

"No, I was never your enemy. I never will be. No matter what the general decides to do with me, I am loyal to Earth. I am loyal to those I have come to love." Blue eyes peered at her tentatively. He continued on almost too quietly to hear. "You are one of those I would sacrifice for, Janet. I would always protect you. You were my friend."

"I am still your friend."

"Thank you."

"I will recommend to the general that he give you the benefit of the doubt and that you be allowed to prove yourself by your past and future actions."

"Thank you, Janet," Daniel murmured, a small smile gracing his lips.

For all his apparent weariness, that smile made him look so much better. She wished he would smile more. He rarely smiled, truly smiled. He was the master of fake smiles, but when a person was privileged enough to see one of his genuine smiles, it made the world so much brighter.

"I'll go get some food for you, Daniel. And when I come back I want to check you over."

"All right, doctor lady," Daniel whispered, holding back a chuckle at the new name he had just decided to give her.

Ten minutes later, Daniel was sitting cross-legged on the cot with a plastic tray resting in his lap. He slowly ate the food he had been brought. Janet had dragged a chair into the room and sat outside his cell, keeping him company much as Teal'c had done the night before. He wondered in the back of his mind, if the quiet Jaffa had asked Doctor Fraiser to spend the time with him, or if she was there of her own volition. Either way, it made him feel slightly better even in his dire straights.

He was picking at blue jello when the door to the brig opened, revealing General Hammond. As always, the man's face revealed nothing. He entered with the two guards outside and motioned them towards Daniel's cell. They were carrying the shackles Daniel was becoming accustomed to.

"Dr. Fraiser," Hammond greeted. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Of course not, sir," Janet replied gracefully, but there was a hard edge to her tone. "I was just getting Daniel some food that he was in much need of."

The implications of those words were not lost on the general. He watched as Daniel was shackled and ushered out of the cell, motioning for Fraiser to follow them.

Back in the meeting room, Daniel was surprise to find that it was only the three of them.

"The rest of SG-1 will not be present for this meeting, Dr. Jackson. Please have a seat."

Daniel complied, not even daring to ask that his handcuffs be removed. Perhaps the general would not feel safe in a situation without the reassuring presence of Teal'c muscles and Jack's quick reflexes.

"Dr. Fraiser, please have a seat as well, you may stay for this interview if you wish. I would appreciate your input."

Janet took a seat closer to Daniel than anyone had dared yet to sit. It was a statement of her trust in him.

"Now, Dr. Fraiser, why was it left to you to bring Dr. Jackson food?" the general inquired.

"I discovered that the guards were not giving him anything to eat or drink. He hasn't been fed since his return."

"Is that true, Dr. Jackson?"

Daniel glanced up at him nervously. He didn't want to get the guards in trouble, but if he lied now…that could undermine any chances he had at gaining back the trust he had so hopelessly butchered all on his own.

"Yes," he finally answered. "But it's not their fault."

"I will decide what is and is not correct in this facility. The guards will be dealt with." Hammond paused, giving Daniel a long piercing look. "I brought you here to speak with you outside of the interrogation situations we have been giving you. I want to believe that you mean us no harm, but that is a very hard thing to do given the circumstance of your life."

Daniel smiled sadly at the man. "The only thing I can offer you is that I did tell you the truth about everything that I am. I could have lie, but I did not. Before this, I wanted so badly for no one to know, but I still never truly lied because no one ever truly asked."

"How long had you been in contact with the System Lords while working in this facility?"

"The summit meeting at which SG-1 discovered me is the first meeting I have held in years. The device I used to transport off planet broke shortly before I returned from Abydos. I managed to fix it not long ago."

"What kind of device do you have that can transport you all the way across the galaxy without the aid of a Stargate?"

"It is a piece of Ancient technology that I picked up in the first years of my travel, when Anubis and I were first joined. It can get me only to my planet, from there I could call meeting or travel to others at my whim."

"Why didn't you return from this meeting?"

"When I departed, I am assuming that the device on this end was broken again. I was not able to return and I did not have a GDO to use to get through the iris, even if I would have been able to explain coming through, I would have been reduced to nothingness."

"What is this device?"

"It's two devices, one on this end and one on my planet. They are as small as a large amulet. They are stationary, but will transport matter touching one to the other."

Hammond nodded, clenching his jaw for a moment, as if his own resolve were being tested.

"You have a lot to answer for, Dr. Jackson," the general stated, his pale blue eyes unwavering as they bore into Daniel's own.

"I know."

"Then let us start at the beginning. What happened with Ra?"

Daniel closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. Time to tell his stories again…but different stories than he had ever told. Truthful stories were about to be uttered from his lips once again. What had the world come to?

"When I went to Abydos with Jack and the others, I was not aware that it was one of Ra's worlds. He had abandoned it at one point. I had not expected him to take it back, and especially without informing me. It was a shock when he arrived. I panicked, so I stuck to playing the helpless archeologist. But it should be noted that I did get away from Ra and I did lead to his destruction. I just did it in a round about way that led no one to believe I was capable of defending myself."

"And then you decided to stay on Abydos after that?"

"Yes. I could travel easily to the System Lords from Abydos. I would not have to rely on my transporter, which I took with me. And…there was Sha're. I would have given everything up for her…I would have let Anubis die for her. I was happy there. I could have stayed there forever, but…when Jack came back through, I knew that I couldn't just stand by and watch Apophis destroy what I loved. And then…he took her. I could have saved her. All I had to do was approach him in the guise of Anubis and demand that Amaunet release her host. But by that time, the transporter was broken. I couldn't just leave through the Stargate, I didn't have a chance. So I bided my time until I would be able to get her back without raising suspicions about myself. That was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. Not even lying to you is as bad as that."

Daniel gave them a weak smile, shaking his head in defeat. The sorrow in his eyes was tangible.

"When I saw her again on Abydos, pregnant with Apophis' child, I thought I would be able to save her then. But once again I waited too long. I could not force Amaunet out while she was sleeping, and then Apophis managed to take her away before I could make my move once again. I swore it was the last time I would make that mistake, my incessant waiting. I was wrong again. I am such a fool. The last time I saw her, I almost had her. I had already decided, while she held me within the throws of her ribbon device, that I would reveal myself to her and take her back. The minute she let up, I would have forced Amaunet out…but you know me, always waiting. Teal'c came in. I could not stop him. And now she's dead because of my mistakes. I do not blame Teal'c. He could never have known. I can only blame myself. I was ready to leave after that. I had every intention of giving up on the System Lords, giving up on the SGC. I wanted nothing to do with this world anymore…but Sha're…she was right. I had to forgive and I had to find the Harcesis. She was always stronger than I was. She knew I had to keep going. She did not know about my being Anubis, but she knew I was not as young as I claimed to be. She could sense that I was always lying, but she didn't mind. That's how strong she was."

Daniel's voice trailed off as he stared absently down at his clasped, shackled hands. The sadness in the air around him was almost palpable. The lights seemed dimmer and the silence stretched on as if it would last forever.

"Will he ever understand?" Daniel asked quietly, still not looking up. They all knew who he was talking about. It was as plain as day that the one man Daniel wanted forgiveness from the most was the one least likely to give it.

General Hammond regarded the archeologist with regret, sighing his answer. "I don't know"

"Will you?"

The question was blunt…and yet, the anguish with which Daniel spoke them made the general force himself not to give in to his paternal instinct to bundle Daniel up in his arms and comfort him like a child.

"I will make that decision when this meeting is over. I will give you your answer then. I have a few more questions to ask you."

Daniel gave him a tiny, knowing smile, a promise of forgiveness in advance.

"Ask what you will of me," Daniel bade him.

"I would like to bring SG-1 in for the remainder of the meeting," Hammond informed him.

Daniel nodded, and watched numbly as Sam, Jack, and Teal'c entered the room. Teal'c nodded in his direction, trust in his dark eyes. Sam gave him a tiny, worries smile. And Jack…Jack didn't even look at him. Not once. Daniel closed his eyes in despair.

"Dr. Jackson," General Hammond called his attention back. "In the reports given to me by SG-1, it was observed that you rather blatantly caused harm using both ribbon devices to the Goa'uld you referred to as Baal. Why was this?"

Daniel gave a rye bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Baal is a very…impertinent man. He thinks he knows everything. He dared to speak against me and that is something that cannot be allowed if I am to survive in their midst. I have no one to protect me when I am traveling among them, so I have to keep them in fear of me to be able to have any impact."

"What impact?" Jack spat, eyes flashing with anger. "All I see is you gallivanting around dishing out punishment to those who annoy you, then sending them home to wreak havoc on their enslaved worlds!"

Daniel was one his feet in a flash, his narrowed eyes flaring so brightly that the pupils could not even be seen. His face contorted in a vicious snarl, an expression so unlike the Daniel they knew.

"How dare you!" Daniel hissed, venom lacing his words. "How dare you imply such a thing?"

"Dr. Jackson," Hammond tried to stop him from going off. It did not have the desired results.

"Oh, don't you 'Dr. Jackson' me, you fool! I am far older than any of you will ever be. Take the time to listen to what I have to say rather than your prejudices against what you don't understand! I have made progress in taking out some of the Goa'uld power bases. There are not as many System Lords as there once were. But yes, I do bide my time. I have to have a reason to see a System Lord executed or the remaining Lords will turn against me. The System Lords you have faced thus far are not the most powerful there are. You would not have survived against the ones I have rid myself of. Were you to go up against me as a System Lord, and my peers, who are all now dead, you would suffer a quick and humiliating defeat. Be thankful I am on your side, though you don't believe that is true. And be thankful that I have already rid this galaxy of those who could crush you with a thought."

"What about Hathor?" Jack demanded. "You nearly let her take over the base!"

Daniel had the grace to look sheepish as he slowly sat back down, his shoulders hunched forward, his head down. He looked like a kid who had just gotten caught in the proverbial cookie jar.

"I've…um…always had a weakness to Hathor…"

Everyone just stared at him. Daniel shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you saying that her pheromones really worked that well on you?" Sam asked, her face disbelieving. "I thought the Goa'uld were not affected by her."

"Well…" Daniel bit his lip, looking ashamed. "I was completely under her power," he finally admitted. "More so than most. It was ironic that she chose me as her Beloved. She was in love with Anubis, but she did not know I was him. She knows Anubis is susceptible to her pheromones, but she would never dare use them on him. She pumped me so full of them that I could hardly see straight. I fought back at first, but I failed. I knew I would. You would have been glad to know that, even if she had survived, none of the larvae she birthed would have. They would have died in a week or two. My DNA cannot be used to create Goa'uld, something from the experiments done on me. Eventually, she would have discovered that I could not support her children and she would have released me from her power to torture me. At that time I would have revealed myself as Anubis and taken control of the situation." He closed his eyes. "She would have cowered at my feet at the mere shadow of my fury."

The group stared for a long time at the man sitting in front of them. His face was set in a look of resignation and had the grace to look contrite. He was trying to make himself look small again, and he was succeeding. Cookie jar boy had just morphed into little lost toddler.

"I'm sorry," Daniel's sudden whisper almost went unheard.

"For what?" the general asked.

"I'm not who you wanted me to be. I'm not who you thought I was." Tears stung at his eyes for umpteenth time in so few days. He had not had tears in his eyes this often since he was a child so long ago. The next step was to actually cry. He didn't see that happening in the near future. No, he would not allow that. "I gave you who you wanted for five years…but it was never enough. It was only a matter of time, I know. You would have abandoned me eventually. I am not needed here. The only thing I can ask of you is that, if you are going to imprison me, if you are going to turn me over to the government, then, please, kill me now. I do not want to be experimented upon ever again."

"No one's going to kill you, Dr. Jackson," Hammond stated.

"It is a better solution than Area 51!"

"It seems you have already resigned yourself to this fate."

Daniel almost laughed at that.

"What other fate could there be? I will not delude myself into false hope. Fate has never been kind to me. You are a military general of a belligerent self-serving nation. They would never allow my release."

Janet reached out across the table and gently took Daniel's hand in hers. She smiled at him and he stared back with wide eyes. She was touching him…she cared.

"For all intents and purposes, Dr. Jackson," Hammond stated. "You are still the same man that this government hired five years ago. If it is permissible with SG-1, I will speak with the President about allowing you to stay on at the SGC."

Daniel flinched as Jack pushed his chair violently back and stalked out of the room. Hammond's sharp call of Jack's rank did not stop the colonel from slamming the door shut behind him.

And once again, all was left to despair.

Daniel hung his head in abject misery and tried in vain to shut the world out, hope of salvation feeling with the slamming of that door. Even if he stayed…who would ever want him?

"I would be pleased if DanielJackson were permitted to remain at this facility. It is my honor to serve with him in any endeavors." Teal'c voice roused him from his torment.

"He should stay," Sam agreed.

"It is my opinion that Daniel is an asset to the SCG in all ways. He is not a danger to us. He had proven himself time and time again. Give him more time and he will prove himself again," Janet commented.

Daniel stared at them all in wonder, a look of shock on his face.

"We'll talk to the Colonel," Sam promised.

"I would like to take Daniel to the Infirmary, sir," Janet spoke up again, patting the hand she had never released. "He is not doing as well as I would like."

"Very well," Hammond agreed. "You are all dismissed. We will meet again after I have spoken wit the President."

With that, the general left, the guards entering the room to retrieve Daniel. Sam smiled at him before silently leaving. Teal'c gave him another of those grave, respectful nods.

Janet was helping him to his feet and happily latched onto his arm.

"Come on, Daniel. I'll make you get sleep if I have to drug you to do it."

And for the second time that day, Daniel truly smiled.


	6. Chapter 7

AN: It seems like I am forever going to be apologizing for taking so long to update, lol. This chapter for some reason, has been giving me a lot of grief. I hope I am making this story in some way believable, let me know.

Chapter 7

Daniel was not in a cell. This was something new. Even the hospital beds were comfortable compared to the cot in the brig. And here he had a pillow. Ah, yes, Daniel did not know he could love a pillow so much.

He snuggled down into the bed, pulling the blanket Janet had given him up to his chin. And for some odd reason he had the sudden odd craving for an oversized teddy bear to hang onto. Come to think of it, he had never had a teddy bear of his own. He was far too old for one by the time they were even invented. Perhaps he would get one someday. Perhaps.

"How are you feeling, Daniel?" Janet asked, approaching from the other side of the room where she had been dealing with SG-8. The same people who gazed at him both with accusation and intrigue.

He offered the doctor lady an impish smile, pulling the blanket up to his eyes to hide himself. In the back of his mind, the part of himself that was Anubis was having a conniption fit at such immature behavior.

"I slept," he offered.

"You did," Janet agreed.

"I'm chained to the bed."

"You are."

Daniel smiled ruefully as he shifted his feet, clanking the chains across the bottom railing of the bed. It would have been quite amusing, if he weren't the one in them. The chains were just long enough so that he could sit up and hang his feet over the edge of the bed if he were sitting right at the end. But he could not touch the ground in the chains.

"It's been a long time since I have felt so helpless," Daniel admitted. "My fate is in all of your hands. Such a thing has never before occurred." His blue gaze shifted up o the concrete ceiling, peering blankly at the light fixtures. "What has become of me?" he murmured to himself, but Janet overheard.

She stepped closer to him, brushing a finger across a pale scar on his wrist bone. It was time to get his mind on other things.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, indicating the scar.

Daniel chuckled slightly, wanting to hide himself yet again.

"A camel bit me," he nearly whispered.

Janet stared at him strangely.

"A camel bit you?" she asked incredulously. It just didn't seem plausible. "A camel bit the high and mighty Anubis?"

Daniel shook his head in amusement. "No, this happened before Anubis came. I was twenty, I believe. The camel and I had a dispute on if I could ride him or not. The camel won."

Janet laughed softly, tracing the scar again. "Are there any other scars with stories to tell?"

"Not really," Daniel answered. "I stayed away from camels after that. Llama's too, they're too similar to take a chance. I swear camels have a genetic memory that tells them all to hate me. The camel I'm riding in that picture in my office was the first to let me ride it since I was a child. And even that camel turned on me eventually." He chuckled again. "Pelican's are cruel beasts as well. I would advise you never to get bitten by one of those."

The doctor stared once again in surprise. "Is there a scar for that?" she inquired.

"No, I didn't let it scar. With Anubis' regenerative powers, I can decide whether I want things to scar or not. But once they are a scar, they pretty much stay." He paused for a moment, a slow grin creeping across his face. "You would have loved to see Anubis' indignation when the pelican bit him. It was the first time he had seen one and he was curious. He had the most interesting curse words at the time."

"I'll bet he did," Janet replied as she tugged the blanket down from his face. She casually started checking him over. He flinched when her penlight came out of nowhere to blind him.

"What are you doing?" he demanded in an almost panicked voice. "You know very well there's nothing wrong with me!"

"But it's fun," Janet said with a smirk, flashing the penlight at him again. Daniel scowled and pulled the blanket up over his head. Janet pulled it right back down.

"Stop that!"

"No."

Daniel make a gurgling sound in the back of his throat and promptly gave up. Janet just chuckled at him, patting his head like she would that of a petulant child. Daniel just couldn't find it in himself to be offended. Anubis was going to have an aneurysm any day now anyways, what would it matter if that day were today. Ah yes, he could see it now, the universe would know, the most powerful System Lord of all time was being badgered by a petite woman with a penlight. The world was coming to an end. Right now. This very instant. He was doomed.

"Ah hem," someone cleared their throat, someone decidedly male and sounding very familiar.

Daniel looked up in surprise.

"General!" he cried, quickly jumping up out of the bed, only to end up with his face planted painfully into the floor, his feet held a few inches above the ground. Face meet Floor. "Ow…"

"Daniel, are you alright?" Janet cried.

"No…" he groaned meekly.

General Hammond quickly motioned for one of the officers on guard to undo Daniel's shackles and they quickly had the errant linguist back on his feet. He self-consciously brushed himself off, unaware of the red mark marring his forehead. He drew himself up straighter and wrapped himself in the self-hug they all knew so well. He kept his gaze lowered, wanting nothing more than to disappear.

"I have very good news for you, Dr. Jackson. If you would please follow me," the general ordered. "Dr. Fraiser, please come as well."

They were met back in the meeting room by the rest of SG-1. Sam and Teal'c greeted Daniel. Jack threw him a disgusted look. Daniel cringed away from the Colonel, sitting as far away from the man as he could. Everyone was seated and General Hammond set down a folder on the table.

"The President has decided that it would be to the advantage of this planet to retain the Goa'uld Anubis as an ally. He has decided that the nature of Daniel Jackson's relationship to Anubis be kept highly classified. The knowledge will be given on a need to know basis, and of course, to the people on this base who already know. Any official that needs a meeting with Anubis will have a meeting with Daniel Jackson who will, on record, be acting as Anubis' liaison and will have say in all matters dealing with Anubis. He may also meet people in the guise of Anubis if it is so needed."

Silence reigned throughout the room when the general had finished. Daniel could only stare. A dream come true or a nightmare beyond measure, he could not decide what this was. It seemed like reality was turned upside down and just wouldn't right itself.

"You can't be serious!" Jack nearly choked on his own words, glaring balefully down at Daniel.

"I am very serious, Colonel. And you had better get over your objections because Daniel Jackson will be remaining with SG-1," Hammond said sternly, meeting the colonel's gaze.

"You can't just give the enemy all our secrets!"

"I already know your secrets," Daniel muttered.

"He's a danger to everyone around him!"

"Colonel!" General Hammond barked out the rank, his voice sharp with anger. "You will learn to live with this decision and you will continue to work alongside Daniel Jackson. If this is not acceptable to you then you, not Dr. Jackson, will be removed from SG-1!"

"That's not fair!" O'Neill exclaimed.

The growl that sounded in the back of Daniel's throat was audible as he turned sharply to Jack, his blue eyes dark with fury.

"Jack, stop acting like a petulant child!" Daniel snapped, grinding his teeth in frustration. "I know you have a problem with the Goa'uld, you don't have to yell and scream about it. I know you're pissed because I didn't tell you this before, but if I had told you, I wouldn't be here today, now would I?" He gave a heavy sigh, heaving himself up to his feet as he turned away, shaking his head. "Everything I have done since I have known you has been in your best interest, doesn't that count for anything?"

"You lied…"

"Don't you think I know that!" Daniel rounded on him, a breath of air hissing out through his teeth. "God, Jack, all I ever wanted was for you to be my friend!"

The colonel had the grace to look stunned, his dark eyes shadowed with thought. The room was closed into an uncomfortable, thick silence. No one was staring at the two heated men.

"I just wanted…" Daniel's voice trailed off as he stared at the one of the only people in the world he had ever wanted the trust of. One of the few people he felt he could be friends with. Nothing was going well. He was doomed again. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, those cerulean orbs were resigned to a fate he felt no hope towards.

Daniel turned, facing the general directly as he spoke now. His voice was formal and controlled.

"I'm sorry, general. But, this isn't going to work. I know that the government will not want to let me go, but I cannot stay here now. I do not belong. I never did. Please accept this. And if you cannot get me off this planet, I will find my own way off. I will never deal with the Tau'ri or the Goa'uld again. I will retire all that I am and all of you can be assured that I will never use any of the knowledge I have against you. Please accept this as my resignation and the cancellation of the treaty we would have worked out on behalf of the guise Anubis."

"Daniel…"

It was not the general who spoke. No, it was the voice that Daniel loved to hate. The voice that denied him so bitterly.

"I'm sorry."

Ah, yes, those words…

"Everyone's always sorry. They don't mean it," Daniel stated softly.

Jack smirked. "You're right, I don't mean it. All this is your fault anyways!"

"How is it my fault?" Daniel cried, exasperated beyond measure.

"You're the one who got yourself caught. I don't want to know this crap about you. You should have kept your glowing eyes in your head and that freaky voice to yourself!"

Daniel was outraged…and perhaps overjoyed. Was this a peace offering in Jack language?

"Well, you shouldn't have gone prancing off at the Tok'ra's whim to crash my summit meeting!" Daniel responded.

"Daniel!" Jack snapped.

"Jack!" Daniel snapped right back.

"Daniel."

"Jack."

"Daniel…"

"Jaaaack!"

They glared at each other for a moment.

…….

"Anubis."

"O'Neill."

They smirked. Sam smiled and Janet positively beamed. Teal'c looked overly pleased and the general tried not to smile and failed miserably.

"There's a lot of things we need to talk about," Jack stated, his tone still hard. Daniel was not forgiven just yet. "We'll work this out, you and I."

"We can only hope," Hammond stated, his pale eyes staring at the two men who were almost too proud for their own good on occasion.

Daniel glanced at the General, his eyes then lingering on all the inhabitants of the room. A small smile graced his lips. "Ah yes," he replied. "Hope."

AN: A Giant HUGE Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Next chapter, Daniel and Jack get to "work out" their problems. We'll see how that goes, hehehe.


	7. Chapter 8

I wrote myself into a corner. Yey! –bangs head against table- But I think I got myself out of it.

Some people say there's no such thing as writer's block. I would like to most profoundly disagree. I haven't been able to write on any of my stories in weeks. Eh! We'll see what happens.

Thank you all for your review and for you patience. And I love some of your ideas. Anubis vs. Kinsey – I hadn't thought of that but it should prove amusing if I can fit it in. And the Tok'ra will be seen within the next few chapters. I leave you with a nice long chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 8

It was the first time Daniel had walked unshackled in the hall in many days. And it was the first time in those days that he was walking beside friends, not guards. He smiled softly to himself, reveling in the feeling of not being shunned completely by those he relied upon for his sanity.

Sam was looking overjoyed. Teal'c was looking like…well, Teal'c. And Jack was looking pensive, if that was possible. Perhaps he was just indignant.

Daniel wanted to smirk in triumph at all the people they passed in the hall. All of which looked at him with mixed expressions of wonder and horror. Getting the people on base to trust him again was going to be a chore. Hmm…maybe it would give his departments incentive to get things done. A glow of the eyes here, a barked multi-voiced demand there…the results could be tempting. But that would just be cruel.

Not to mention the general probably wouldn't stand for him harassing his staff.

"When are we going to work this out, Daniel?" Jack asked him after a long comfortable moment of silence as the team made their way through the hall and towards Daniel's office. Why they were heading there, none of them knew, it just seemed like a natural thing to do.

"As soon as possible would be the best, Jack," Daniel answered softly. "I'll need to change clothes, though, and we'll need to go to find somewhere secluded."

"Secluded?" Jack inquired.

Daniel smiled at him, a wicked glint showing in his eyes.

"Trust me, we'll both feel better when we are done. We need a good yelling match without the hassle of an audience. And we may just get in a little less than friendly sparing."

"But you're terrible at hand to hand fighting," Jack objected.

"I told you I am a wonderful actor, Jack. Do you think that after five thousand years I don't know how to defend myself? Do you honestly think it was you who taught me how to use a gun? I could hit a target dead on long before you were born."

"Ah, well, right-o," Jack grimaced.

Daniel gave him a superior look. "Yes, that's right, fear for your health."

"Like that could ever happen. I'll have you on the floor before you could blink."

"We shall see."

They continued on in silence until they reached Daniel's office. He entered with his eyes darting around the room, flashing on everything that should be and noting things that were out of place. He scowled as he saw the talisman sitting on his worktable, obviously broken. He picked it up with a scowl, frowning at the damage.

"The damn thing fell off the table, didn't it," he ground out, his shoulders tense.

"It was found on the floor," Sam confirmed. "Is that the device you use to get to your temple?"

"Yeah," Daniel replied slowly, obviously lost in thought. He picked up a metal pick from the table and began prodding the talisman gently, hitting certain points and listening for something that sounded wrong. His frown deepened as he tapped against the fractured side of the device, hearing the telltale rattle that told him he was going to have to take the device apart once again for the umpteenth time in his long life.

"Can it be fixed?" Sam inquired, her eyes bright with the possibility of tinkering. She was clearly asking if she could help.

"I'll have to take it completely apart to find out what came loose or broke off inside. You can help if you want," he offered to her, knowing she would jump at the chance of taking apart new alien technology. Daniel just hoped she would be able to get it back together again.

He tentatively inserted the metal pick further into the device, searching around for the button he knew was there that would open it. The button that was right next to another one.

White light flashed in the room and Daniel blinked, his hands tightening reflexively around the device.

"Whoops."

He looked up to find that he was no longer in his office. And his friends were with him. His eyebrows gave an odd twitch.

"Well that's never happened before," he said quietly as SG-1 took in their new surroundings. They were standing in the middle of thick forests, white flowers scattered across the ground in a beautiful picture of serenity. Light filtered through the tall trees. Daniel gave an explosive sneeze. "I really should have disabled that button," he muttered to himself.

"Daniel…" Jack growled out, glaring at the occasionally air-headed man.

"This place looks familiar," Sam announced.

"I agree," replied Teal'c.

And Daniel began to wonder if there was ever a time that all of them didn't take a turn to state the obvious. He sneezed again.

"We're back on my planet. The stupid reset button is right next to the open button, but it's never transported people who weren't touching it before…Granted people have never been standing with me before when I have used it. Maybe that's why we're not standing with the other half of the device. But if…" Daniel trailed off, his mind going into overdrive. He scratched at the side of his eyes with the metal pick, which would have been comical if he wasn't holding a pointy piece of metal that could poke his eyes out if he made one wrong move with it. Then a thought came to him and he grimaced, ducking his head. "How much do you think the general's going to kill me for this? He just let me go."

"That's the least of our problems," Jack grouched. "We don't have a GDO, how are we going to get back?"

"I have a radio in my temple," Daniel chirped.

"Of course you do…"

The trek back to the temple was not as long as it was from the gate, but the distance was still significant. Daniel was sneezing as much as humanly possible without giving himself brain damage and Jack was sulking, muttering about court marshals and other such things. Daniel also noted that Sam kept eyeing the device he held firmly onto. He knew she wanted to take it apart, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to let her. It was nothing against her personally, it was just that this device had been with him a long time and he felt uncomfortable letting other people handle it. Though she had told her she could help…that's what he gets for speaking without thinking first.

He sent Jack off to the armory when they reached the temple, so that the man would not follow him into his rooms and start rooting through all of his few ancient possessions that resided within, unseen by any eyes but his for thousands of years. Teal'c seemed to know to stay away from Daniel's refuge and followed Jack in his exploration of the many weapons Daniel had accumulated over the years from many different worlds and beings. It was Sam that followed him into his rooms, Sam that regarded all held within with a certain amount of awe.

The rooms were simple, but extremely tall, held aloft by towering pillars of stone. There were shelves and tables everywhere, each holding their own treasures. The bed in the corner was plain and unadorned with beige sheets and some kind of animal fur thrown over one side. What made the room Daniel's was the uncountable books and scrolls scattered across tables, stacked on the floor, and sitting on the numerous shelves. It was much like his office back at the SGC. It was at that moment that Sam realized how much being an anthropologist was part of Daniel's life. He had not invented the identity he wore now, he had always had it; it just hadn't had a name. He truly was the same person he had always been. Nothing had changed at all.

Sam watched him as he rooted through a chest in one corner, picking out the contents and setting them gently on the floor next to him. The expression he wore was the same one he used when rooting through a mound of artifacts. His fingers moved with a careful precision born of years of experience in handling fragile objects.

"We really have been cruel to you, haven't we, Daniel?" Sam spoke quietly, her eyes downcast. "We have been ignoring you for some time, or else we would have noticed all of this sooner."

Crystal blue eyes peered over at her, glistening strangely in the dim light of the room. Then Daniel turned away again, his expression pensive and dark as he continued to dig through the massive chest.

"I pushed you all away. I know that. I knew what would happen when I did. I expected little else. There is nothing to apologize for, Sam."

She bit her lip, studying his back as he worked, refusing to look her way.

"It's just that…I don't think we're ever really known you at all, Daniel. Not because you lied or pushed us away, but because we never really took the time. I understand that now. You tried so hard to be unassuming that we forgot about you. We didn't take care of you like we should have." The look of horror on her face would have been unmistakable if Daniel had dared to look. He did not. "I just can't believe we did that."

He smiled sadly to himself, his face reflected in a mirror resting in the depths of the chest, sending his morose expression right back at him.

"You did nothing I did not ask of you. I…I did want you all to care for me, but I didn't want to let you close. I didn't want to be hurt and that is my own fault."

"That doesn't excuse out actions, Daniel!" Sam exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter," he responded firmly, his hands gripping the side of the chest so hard his knuckles were white. "It's in the past, Sam. Leave it there!" He was almost desperate.

"The past isn't far enough away," she insisted. "It should never have happened at all!"

Daniel sighed, sitting back on his heels. He hung his head in a resigned manner, closing his eyes.

"I would never hold it against you, any of you. I am the one that held you all at a distance. It was what I meant to do. I just didn't expect it to hurt so much. It never has before."

"Oh, Daniel…"

And then she was hugging him from behind, holding his as tightly as she could. His lips gave a betraying quiver, but he did not cry. It felt good, to be held, to have someone want to comfort him. He could have lived in that moment forever. Instead, he picked up the radio he had finally found and waved it at her.

"Found it!" he exclaimed with a brightness he didn't feel.

Sam gave him a tighter squeeze and then released him, gracing him with a brilliant smile. Together they left the room and rounded up the other two in the armory, where Jack was getting into all sorts of trouble. Daniel was surprised he hadn't managed to stun or shoot himself by them.

They made their way back to the gate as quickly as they could, fearing the general's wrath, of course. Daniel knew he was going to be in big trouble with that general. Sam dialed the gate and he waited for Jack to make radio contact with the control room. The general was on the line before they had the chance to blink.

"Colonel O'Neill, where they hell are you?" Hammond barked over the radio. Not a happy camper.

Jack cringed. "We're on…er…Daniel's planet, sir."

"How did you get there?" the general growled.

"Daniel touched something, sir."

"I see…"

"I thought you would, sir."

"I do not want a reoccurrence of this, Colonel."

Jack cringed again at the anger in the general's voice. "There won't be, sir."

"Come on through."

Jack offered his team a cocky smile and motioned with a wide sweep of his arm for them to head on into the wormhole. Sam and Teal'c went quietly through, but as Jack went to move forward, Daniel grabbed his arm in a firm grip. Jack shot him a questioning look, but Daniel said nothing, calmly taking the radio out of Jack's hand.

"I'm sorry, general," Daniel spoke quietly into the radio, "but I'm going to have to borrow Jack for a while."

"Dr. Jackson, explain yourself!"

"Jack and I need to have a little talk. We'll dial back in an hour or two."

"You are on dangerous ground, Dr. Jackson."

"I know, sir," Daniel replied without inflection. "This cannot be avoided."

With that, Daniel disengaged the wormhole using the DHD, something Jack didn't know you could do, but was too distracted to ask about.

"Danny…why'd ya do that?" Jack inquired.

Daniel did not reply, just motioned for Jack to start back towards the temple. He frowned in annoyance when Jack didn't move at all.

"What are you doing, Daniel?"

Jack couldn't have looked more surprised when the archeologist pushed him roughly in the direction he was meant to go, making it clear they would be going back through the Gate only when Daniel allowed it.

"Hey!" Jack snapped in alarm. "Take it easy!"

"We're going back to the temple, Jack," Daniel commanded with an authority he rarely showed. "And then we're going to work out everything that could cause problems between us in the future. Only then shall we return to the world of men. Here we are ghosts and no one shall ever know what has transpired on this vacant world."

The colonel glared back at the System Lord turned archeologist. "You are really starting to creep me out."

"Good."

Jack never thought he would see Daniel's eyes be so cold and distant. The gentle man he knew was some other where for the time being. He was in the company of the System Lord, and that, in itself, was not a reassuring realization.

"Come, Colonel O'Neill," Daniel spoke assuming Anubis's haughty air as he lead the way back to the temple.

This little show was really starting to piss Jack off. Daniel knew it too.

By the time they did reach the temple, Jack's patience was beyond his normal limit and the tight rein he was holding on his emotions was about to snap. The room they ended up in was behind Daniel's main throne room. It was vast and empty, the perfect place for a fight.

Daniel strode to the center of the room, then spun around. If he had been wearing his cloak, he would have had a nice dramatic flare of ebony fabric.

"O'Neill," he called, commanding Jack's wavering attention. "Come."

"You can cut the crap now, Daniel," Jack ground out. "I get the picture. Big Bad you and all that."

"Do it, Jack," Daniel murmured, his vice barely audible in the hollow room.

Dark eyes narrowed in caution. "Do what?"

Daniel merely smiled. "What you have wanted to do on numerous occasions since the first day we met. Hit me."

"I'm not going to hit you, Da…"

He was not expecting the blow. Wasn't expecting the underhandedness of the entire situation. Daniel had moved without warning. Without even being in a position to inflict damage. Jack staggered back with one hand raised to his throbbing jaw.

"Son of a bitch!" Jack hissed. "What was that for?"

Daniel stood before him, perfectly still. His body was completely relaxed. There was no indication of offense or defense. His position was neutral. He didn't even look as if he were ready for a fight. This, perhaps, was a testament to how dangerous Daniel really was. There was a smirk on his lips. Blue eyes gazed up at the colonel with a measure of satisfaction and sinister cunning. Yet another set of emotions Jack had never thought he'd see on the face of one who seemed so innocent at first, second, and even one hundredth glance.

Come on, Jack, Daniel urged silently. He wanted nothing more than for this little show to be unnecessary, but he knew that wasn't the case. He could not afford future mistakes made because he and Jack had never worked out their differences. He needed Jack's trust. He needed his respect. He did not know how to acquire such things after his blunder of cosmic proportions. He was flailing around in the dark for a solution and this was the only one he had come up with.

"Come on, Jack," Daniel growled out. "Hit me. You want to. You always have. You hate me. I know you do!"

"Stop it, Daniel." The scowl on Jack's face was gradually turning to anger. Daniel had always known what buttons to push.

Daniel lunged forward again, throwing his fist towards Jack's face. The colonel ducked quickly, backing away from the advancing man. Another punch was thrown and Jack batted it aside, grabbing Daniel's arm as he did so. Daniel merely pulled the arm back, causing Jack to stumble. He hooked one foot around the man's leg and sent Jack falling to the ground with a painful thud. He knelt down, one knee digging into Jack's chest, his face lowered so that he could stare into those startled brown eyes.

"All these years you never once realized what I was doing to all of you. I played you all to my own whims," Daniel spat.

And Jack has finally had enough. The discontent that had been building for days finally broke. Anger is always blind when it comes to friends. It doesn't matter why actions are taken if they anger someone to the point of not caring for the greater impact of those actions.

"You used us!" O'Neil cried angrily, swinging his fist towards Daniel's unprotected face.

"I had to!" Daniel yelled back, one hand snaking up with impossible speed to latch onto Jack's clenched fist. He twisted Jack's arm back, rising for a moment to turn the man onto his stomach before he pressed his knees painfully into the man's back, his arm still wrenched back in Daniel's iron grip. "And fools of humans, you allowed it!"

He released Jack as quickly as he had pinned him, watching the man rise from the ground with a painful grimace. Jack turned and advanced on the human Goa'uld once again.

"You're a snakehead!"

"I am a god!" Daniel nearly screamed, pushing Jack roughly back with both hands. His strength sent Jack falling right back to the ground. Daniel stood over him, his face a mask of loathing. "All of you should be at my feet and look at me now! I have no servants. My presence is neither known nor worshipped anywhere on that miserable planet."

"That's your own damn fault."

Daniel growled, his expression darkening. He looked vicious like that, a true lord.

"Without me you would be nothing! The Gate would never have been opened. Or, when it was, you would be dead right now because of your own idiocy."

Jack heaved himself off the ground again. Keeping his distance from the ranting man. He didn't think his back could take another fall like that so soon.

"If the Gate had never been opened you would have broken your little toy and the System Lords would have gone against you in time."

Daniel shook his head emphatically, denying the point.

"The device can be fixed with time. I have done it many times over."

"You would have failed eventually."

If glared could kill, Jack would have been dead ten times over from the chilling look Daniel sent his way.

"It's easy to say what might have been after the fact. It's easy to find someone to blame when you have already faced the outcome!" Fury can sometimes take control. "Say it, Jack! Just say it!"

"I hate you!" he screamed.

"I love you..." was Daniel's heart wrenching sob.

Jack just stared at him for a long moment. Both of them were emotionally and physically exhausted, gasping for breath. They were both broken, hollow men, finite in that instant.

"Oh, Danny," Jack whispered.

The youthful man gave him a trembling smile. "You are like a brother to me, Jack. You've taken care of me over the years. You've shown me how to live again. I don't want to lose you because of this. You are the only family I have ever had. Even when you were ignoring me, you still took care of me. Even when you all pushed me so far away, I wanted to cling to what I knew I had with all of you, even though you might not have felt the same way. When it really mattered…you were there."

"Come here, Daniel," Jack commanded quietly.

Before he knew it, Daniel was swept up into another hug. The fates must have been being generous, two hugs in one day. Daniel simply melted in the embrace. When Jack finally released him, they sat down together side by side against one wall, gazing out into the empty room.

"Do you forgive me?" Daniel whispered.

"I forgive you."

Daniel smiled. "The hardest thing in my life has been having to be someone I'm not. But, the funny thing is, I have been acting this way for so long that this is who I am now. I am not who I used to be. I am no longer the great System Lord, though I can still act the part. I no longer feel as though I am that person. It is too ironic to even comprehend. The mask of lies has become my true face, you could say."

"Is Daniel even your name?" Jack inquired. He was honestly curious about it. There was no resentment in the words.

"No," Daniel said, shaking his head. "Daniel Jackson was a real child with real parents. I saw the accident at the museum. I used it to my advantage. The real Daniel Jackson died when the cover stone fell. I tried to get them out of the way, but I wasn't quick enough."

"Why were you there?"

"It is a piece of my past, of my home. I wanted to see it again, even if it was only in a museum."

"What's your real name?"

Daniel paused, his expression quickly becoming somber. "I can't remember my name," he replied slowly, as if trying to get the words out without showing too much emotion. The pain showed in his eyes. "I have tried to remember it, but I cannot. It has been too long and there are too many memories. I was called that name for but twenty years. I was called Anubis for far longer. After Anubis died, I tried to ask some of the priests in the temple what my name had been. They would not tell me. They said that such things were not the worries of gods and that the body I now possess was insignificant as a human and served me far better than it had served its previous owner. They told me that I had not been worth the name I had been given and that they would gladly have taken it away from me at my death so that I would not have defiled the Valley of Reeds with my presence."

Jack scowled. That was a terrible thing to say to another. If they were alive, he would have given them a piece of his mind. They deserved what ever they got. Which brought up another question.

"What did you do to them?"

"I slaughtered the high priests. Ra found it amusing that they had managed to anger me to such an extent. He asked how they had offended me. I told him that they had merely existed."

"I'm sure that made Ra happy."

"Oh it did. We had a celebration that night. He was also amused about the deaths of the scientists. He was impressed with me. I was being the true god of death I was meant to be. I told him that the scientists had finished their work and that I was new and improved, which I was. I showed him a sample of my power and he was much impressed. I was his favored above all others. Even after I took my place among the System Lords, Ra was still inclined to want of my presence. How I hated him."

They sat in silence for a long time. The world outside was darkening, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon. A silver room cast ghostly light across the land as it fell into the dark.

"What's this planet called, anyway?" Jack wanted to know.

Daniel smiled. "I named it Destati. It means 'awaken' in Italian."

"It suits you."

"More than it should, I think," Daniel admitted with a chuckle. "I am neither Anubis nor the boy who he took over. The distinction between the two has blurred and who I am is what they become. I have awakened, you could say. This is who I am now. This is how I want to be. I do not want to be the System Lord Anubis. I do not want to be that Egyptian boy who was sold to monsters. I want to be Daniel."

"You are Daniel," Jack said quietly.

"Good." He pursed his lips, blinking back phantom tears. "Help me stay that way?"

"Anything, anything for you. Me and Carter and Teal'c, we'll help you. We won't let you destroy the world."

Daniel gave a hoarse laugh. "Destroy the world? I could do that."

"Well don't," Jack snapped.

Daniel merely shook his head, giving Jack a sad, half smile. "Never, not Earth. That is a world that has too much meaning. It is the birthplace of the naming of the gods. What else can one do but live with it?"

"Now that's the spirit," Jack exclaimed, clapping his friend on the shoulder. He stood up, groaning as he straightened out his knees. Then he turned, offering Daniel a hand up. "Let's go home."

Daniel smiled and took his hand, allowing Jack to pull him to his feet.

"Yeah, let's go home."

….

"You know, you really kicked my ass."

"I know."

"You're still a geek."

"Jack, don't be an ass…"


	8. Chapter 9

AN: Three words…well two words and a contraction. I'm so sorry. Je suis tres desole. Gomen nasai. Sosososo so to the power of ten sorry that it has taken me almost two years to update this story. Did I mention I was sorry? Shall I grovel? I can do that. Oddly enough I had never intended to wait this long to update, but it's odd how being submersed in anthropological theory can suck the creative energy right out of you. I also wasn't sure where I wanted to put this scene, here or later on, but I decided to just put it here and hopefully it doesn't seem too abrupt. Once again so sorry for the extremely long wait and thank you to all of those who have reviewed and encouraged me to continue.

* * *

Chapter 9

Being the type of facility that it was, the SGC quickly managed to pull itself back together after the shock of Daniel Jackson's true being, and was put back into perfect working order in no time. Or as much of in perfect working order as it could get, also because of the type of the facility it was and the odd occurrences that happened daily.

Everything went back to being ordinary…if anyone at the SGC could be considered ordinary. Peace reigned…for about five minutes.

"I can't believe the General is allowing this!" Jack snarled as he stalked down the hall following a folder and box piled Daniel. The archaeologist was weaving his way to his office, balancing far too much precariously stacked in his arms. Jack wasn't carrying a thing.

"It's not like anything is going to happen. All I have to do is talk to them," Daniel stated, dodging by a person in the hall, his stack of items tottering dangerously. He leaned with it, managed to get the files to tilt back the other way, only to have them tilt too much. Jack quickly reached out and slid the folders back into place in an unconscious move many people on base had acquired over the years of passing by the clumsy archaeologist who carried far too much down the hall.

"I don't trust them," Jack spat into the pause that followed.

"You never have." Daniel remained calm. "If it makes you feel any better, I've never trusted them either and I have known them for far longer. This is just how it has to be. They can't do anything to me while on our base. They'll never know it is me."

"What if they figure it out?" Jack demanded.

"Give me some credit, Jack; I've been doing this for millennia. I think I can fool the Tok'ra well enough." Seeing his Promised Land, Daniel rushed the last few paces down the hall and into his precious office. He set the boxed down on a table and absently set the folders aside. "Shut the door, Jack," Daniel ordered as he began opening the boxes. He pulled out a thick black robe, shaking out the wrinkles and dirt. "I can't believe you made me leave my cloak lying on the floor of my own temple! It's dirty!" he exclaimed with much poutiness and a blue eyed glare.

"That's your own fault. And we don't really have time to wash it now do we. Be thankful that Ferretti was willing to make a side trip for your little costume."

"It's not a costume!" the ancient man nearly shrieked in indignation. He tossed the robe across the back of a chair and started pulling the other objects out of the box. Golden sandals clattered to the floor.

"I can't believe you're going to wear all this," Jack snickered. Daniel growled softly under his breath. He was being mocked.

"Well, I don't really see the most powerful System Lord wearing combat boots and BDUs under his robe. That would be a little suspicious to the High Council, don't you think?" Daniel shoved the remaining content around the box, scowling. "Where are my ribbon devices?"

Jack winced slightly at the thought of Daniel wearing those things.

"Carter is bringing them for you."

Daniel gave a loud sigh, staring at his "costume."

"I wonder if they would notice it I just rolled up my pants"…he mumbled, then shook his head in frustration. "Won't work," he answered his own question. "Won't work. Damned cloak doesn't have a zipper or buttons for that matter. Stapling it shut would look a little suspicious as well. I'll have to wear it all. Turn around will you?"

The colonel gave him a long mocking look, before slowly rocking back on his heels and spinning to face the door. Daniel cringed and bid farewell to his dignity. This would be even worse than walking through the gate at gunpoint in just his kilt. When that happened, no one was focusing on what he was wearing. Daniel huffed in disdain, picking up fabric and flicking it out to remove any stray dirt. Jack smirked to himself, just imagining what Daniel was going to look like. He heard the jangle of metal, the rustling of more fabric and then Daniel was muttering for him to turn around.

Jack did so and immediately blanked his face and clenched his teeth to stop himself from laughing his ass off.

"Don't say it!" Daniel hissed, wrapping his arms around his bare torso in an odd imitation of his fully clothed self-hug. He was wearing a simple pleated black kilt, beads dangled from the gold belt around his hips. Thin golden bangles surrounded his biceps and the golden sandals were secured to his feet. It was interesting to note that there was what seemed to be a small black crystal on the top of each sandal much like the crystals on the ribbon devices. There was a disturbing thought. Daniel growled at his own discomfort, which he shouldn't be feeling at the same time. "You know, Anubis has no qualms about nudity, but I do. This is so annoying."

"Then don't wear it," Jack offered cheekily.

Daniel offered his patented pouting glare, then sighed, shaking his head, and then sighed again in defeat. He was doing a lot of sighing. He picked up his black cloak and shrugged on the heavy material, clasping it at the throat. His jiggled his arms as he raised them until the voluminous sleeves were bunched up at his elbows. He reached back and pulled the large hood over his head, laying it carefully so that it would shadow his face enough for him to be unrecognizable.

A nock at the door announced Sam, as she entered carrying his ribbon devices. Her eyes widened as she peered at Daniel's cloaked form.

"That's very impressive," she told him, frowning slightly. "And somewhat disturbing."

"Why thank you," Daniel griped, smiling never the less, which was made eerie by the fact that the top half of his face was in complete shadow. He held out his hand expectantly. Sam passed him one of the devices and he slipped the cool metal onto his right hand. He held out his left and she obligingly slid the second device onto his offered hand. He smiled, flexing his fingers as the metal warmed against his skin. The black jewels flared slightly, and then were silent. He allowed the naquada carefully contained within his blood to flow through his veins, rising in intensity until Sam gasped and Jack took as step back from him.

"Daniel?" Jack questioned, worried that his fears were true and Daniel was truly and completely Anubis and never had been Daniel at all.

Daniel said nothing for a moment, flexing his fingers before letting them drop to his sides. His flowing sleeves swallowed his arms and hid the ribbon devices.

"I'm fine," Daniel assured them from deep within the shadows of his hood. "Just getting into character."

"Well a little warning would be nice!" Jack snapped. The oppressing feeling emanating from Daniel was disturbing and felt so utterly wrong. Jack growled, hunching his shoulders up slightly. "You can't just go all dark side without warning people, it's not fair."

"Sorry," Daniel murmured.

Jack sighed, his patience wearing thin as it often did with the archaeologist. "We should get going. The snake heads will be here soon. Can't keep them waiting now can we?"

Daniel cringed, not wanting to have the meeting. It was like having another summit meeting, but he couldn't punish these people. It was going to be a long day.

They were an interesting sight, stalking down the hallways. Daniel, completely shrouded in black and known to only some in this guise, walked in the lead with Sam and Jack flanking him on each side. He did not speak. He did not look one way or the other. He just walked straight to the elevator and entered, scaring the officer within. He would surely have been shot if he had not been accompanied by Sam and Jack.

After descending down further into the facility, and nearly giving the accompanying officer a heart attack when Daniel sneezed, the silver doors slid open and the three exited, Daniel taking the lead once again.

When they reached the conference room, Daniel entered with grace and closely drawn power. His eyes flared within the depths of his hood as he watched the Tok'ra Council rise from their seats, clearly alarmed by the force of Daniel's power and the freedom of his movements within the SGC. He couldn't really blame them for demanding a meeting. One of their agents had been at the SGC when the General had announced that Anubis was to be considered an ally. Luckily so few people knew that Daniel was Anubis that they had not had to explain why their innocent little archaeologist was actually a feared System Lord. But, it was safe to say that after the announcement, which had been mentioned to the Tok'ra operative by a confused scientist, the Tok'ra quickly high tailed it back to the High Council and told on poor Anubis and the Tau'ri. It was also safe to assume that because that one scientist and subsequently the Tok'ra had had a big mouth, Daniel was not going to give the High Council an easy discussion.

General Hammond stepped forward, motioning for Daniel to approach the table and take the seat at the opposite end. It was a seat of power, as far as the Council was concerned, representing General Hammond and the SCG at one end of the table and Anubis at the other. The Tok'ra were left to flounder in the center, surrounded and feeling threatened by a seemingly united force of their tentative allies and their presumed greatest enemy.

"Lord Anubis," General Hammond greeted in his Texan drawl. "It's my pleasure to introduce the Tok'ra High Council." He introduced them, but Daniel didn't listen to their names. He didn't care. The only name he kept in his mind was Per'sus the High Councilor. He remembered him well from their last meeting, especially because of the whole zatarc mess. Here he was again, in a different guise, with a different voice, and yet in the very same situation.

"_Thank you, my dear General,_" Daniel spoke quietly in the disturbing dual-toned voice of the Goa'uld; he kept his voice low and sinister, nothing like how the symbiotes of the Tok'ra talked through their hosts.

He sat down, gracefully flaring his robes out and around him in a well practiced motion. He allowed his eyes to flare again, the light lingering far longer than normal, burning to dim embers before finally fading out. The Tok'ra looked uncomfortable and yet did not speak. Anubis was waiting patiently for their belligerence.

"_Do you speak or are we to sit in each other's company and ponder the infantile meaning of this useless universe?"_ Daniel drawled with all the hauteur of Anubis. It was all too easy to fall back into the persona, far too easy to be the villain.

"It's impolite not to show your face among potential allies in a peaceful setting. Hiding does not allow for trust," the High Councilor replied sharply.

Anubis smiled. _"I cannot nor will I show myself to you. The face of Anubis is not seen, such a thing is not permitted. None of my System Lords have gazed upon my face and lived, and neither shall you or the Tau'ri. They understand this. Can you not?"_

"Very well, Anubis."

"_Lord Anubis!"_ Daniel hissed.

"You are not any lord of ours!" another of the Tok'ra growled, rising slightly from his seat.

Daniel did not move, merely allowed them to feel the weight of his gaze and his power as it burned across their skin. "_You will address me with the respect I am due!" _His voice was quiet, but the threat was anything but hidden. Sometimes it is the quiet voice that is the most feared. People who yell and spit in anger are predictable. Those who grow silent in their rage are unpredictable and the most dangerous of all. _"You owe your existence to me. Show some honor!"_

"_Since when is a Goa'uld interested in honor?"_ The hosts were talking anymore.

"_So high and mighty you believe yourselves to be," _Anubis murmured, slipping his metal encased fingers onto the table and twining them together. The Tok'ras' eyes widened at the sight of the two hand devices. _"We are the same species, more alike than you may think. There truly is no distinction_."

"_We are nothing alike!"_

"_Your species is far too young to have deviated from the Goa'uld genetic line. You are the same species, just with a different philosophy. Don't lie to yourselves. You are parasites. You will always be parasites, no matter if the host is willing or not."_

"_You speak as though you are not the same."_

"_I do not know how long I have lived, but I was old when Egeria was born. I do not have the same genetic memory. I have been experimented on, changed. I am not the same as I used to be."_

"What was done to you?" the Per'sus asked, calming slightly.

"_I do not fully know. I do not remember all things, only that I am ancient. I was the favored of Ra. I am the favored of all System Lords. I am their bane and their pride. They fear me and love me because I can give them unlimited power or imminent death. I am the Death Dancer."_

Hammond cleared his throat, gaining the bickering Council's attention.

"I would like to remind you that this discussion is not the reason you are here. You requested this meeting to discuss politics, not genetics."

"Genetics has everything to do with it," a female councilor replied.

"_I do not agree,"_ Anubis announced. He leaned back into his chair, stippling his fingers. He stared out at them silently, waiting.

"_You cannot be trusted!"_ a male councilor hissed.

"_Neither can you," _Anubis replied casually. He could have been talking about the weather with his tone of voice. It only seemed to enrage the Tok'ra further. _"Once again, this is not the reason we are here. Goa'uld and Tok'ra alike agree to disagree. It is the way of things. It will not be changed. We are here for you to discuss my alignment with the Tau'ri. I am not aligned with you; therefore your personal feelings for me are of no consequence." _

"General Hammond," High Councilor Per'sus spoke quietly. "I would advise you to dissolve your alliance with Anubis immediately. No good can come of this."

"My government does not agree, sir," Hammond replied forcefully.

"If he turns against you, as he will, the Tok'ra will not come to your aid against him."

"That's not a problem, Councilor."

"Fine, sign your own death warrant. We will have no part in this!"

"_We didn't ask you to_," Daniel drawled.

The Council looked offended. Anubis hadn't been so amused in ages, but he suppressed his laughter. He stood as the others did and accompanied Hammond and the Council into the Gateroom as they took their leave. He watched them depart with quiet amusement and a smirk touching his lips. The officers in the Gateroom shifted nervously in his presence. Most of these men knew Daniel was Anubis, but in this form, that knowledge was not enough reassurance to settle their fears.

"_That resolved nothing," _Daniel sighed_. "I didn't think it would."_

"It was more of a courtesy than anything else," General Hammond replied. "We would not have broken off our alliance with you for any reason, even if they completely withdrew from their alliance with us."

"_You honor me."_ Daniel said graciously.

"That being said, if you would allow it, I would like to have some people examine you temple and what you have collected there."

Daniel groaned, a sound so unlike the haughty, dignified Anubis that it could only be from the archaeologist. Taking a step back so that he was close enough to the back wall of the Gateroom, he proceeded to bang his head against the wall in abject horror.


End file.
